Geologists have identified the site of an ancient meteorite impact in Dakota County, USA

The area around Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, is the site of an ancient meteorite fall, according to a recent analysis by the Minnesota Geological Survey.

The discovery was made during an update of Dakota County geologic maps. They found anomalies in the rocks – some layers were out of order or the wrong size. This led to further study and identification of small grains of impact quartz, which is only known to form as a result of violent impact and compression in a meteorite fall or nuclear explosion.

“It’s really interesting and new,” geologist Julia Steenberg told MPR News host Katie Wurzer. Steenberg and her colleagues hope to do more research to better understand the impact time and size of the meteorite.

Globally, known meteorite impact sites are extremely rare. This is the first one found in Minnesota and one of fewer than 200 in the world.

According to Steenberg, the area destroyed around Inver Grove Heights is about 14 square kilometers.

Unfortunately for those who want to check it out, however, there is no visible evidence on the ground. The crater is deeply buried under a layer of sediment several hundred meters thick.

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